Game apparatus.



A. REIBSTEIN.

GAME APPARATUS.

APPLICATION IILED Hum, 1912.

Patented Dec. 31, 1912.

V P wlmfssssr l A TTORIVEVS A. REIBSTBIN.

GAME APPARATUS.

APPLICATION IILED IEB.9, 1912.

Patented Dec.31, 1912.

2 SHBETSr-SHEET 2.

. INVENTOR W ATTORNEYS AUGUST REIBSTEIN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

GAME APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 31, 1912.

Application filed February 9, 1912. Serial No, 676,490.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUoUs'r REIBs'rnrN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Game Apparatus, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The invention relates to game apparatus, such as shown and described in the Letters Patent of the United States, No. 1,018,343, granted to me on February 20, 1912.

The object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved game apparatus arranged to enable a number of persons to play at the same time on tables arranged for the same or different games, such as ten pins, bagatelle and the like, and to require considerable skill in successfully playing the games and also to afford amusement to the players and onlookers.

For the purpose mentioned, use is made of a series of game tables, an inclined runway the said tables, ballextending in front of impelling devices mounted at a right angle tothe said runway opposite the tables to permit a player to shoot a ball traveling down the runway off the latter and onto a corresponding table. Use is also made of a return chute connected at one end with the lower end of the runway and having branch chutes arranged adjacent the said tables, and a driven wheel for receiving the balls from the said chute and delivering the balls to the beginning end of the runway.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a plan View of the game apparatus; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same; and Fig. 3 is a rear end view of the same.

A series of game tables A, A, A and A are mounted on suitable supports B adapted to rest on the floor and supporting the tables in an approximately horizontal position. The tables A, A and A A are spaced apart to permit an attendant to pass between the said tables. As shown in Fig. 1, the tables A and A are provided with recesses A for the reception of balls C propelled onto'the said tables, as hereinafter more fully described, and the tables A and A are adapted to receive tenpins D to be knocked down by the balls C likewise propelled onto the said tables, as hereinafter more fully explained. The halls C are adapted to roll down an inclined runway E arranged in front of the tables A, A, A A and slightly above the same, as plainly indicated in the drawings, and the balls C while rolling down the runway E are adapted to be shot off the runway and onto a corresponding table A, A, A or A by the use of ball-impelling devices, preferably in the form of guns F mounted on a bracket G arranged in front of the runway E and approximately opposite the middle portions of corresponding tables A, A, A and A The guns F are swivelcd and their axes are approximately in a horizontal plane passing through the centers of the balls 0 passing down the inclined runway E, and the said guns F are preferably of the construction shown and described in the Letters Patent of the United States, No. 1,006,402, granted to me October 17, 1911.

By the arrangement described a number of players can manipulate the different guns F with a view to shoot a ball 0 coming down the runway E off the latter and onto the table A, A, A or A so as to count on the bagatelle tables A and A in the usual manner when a ball passes into a corresponding recess A preferably numbered, as is customary in bagatelle tables, or a ball shot onto a table A A is intended to knock down the tenpins D to count for the player according to the number of pins thus knocked down. In order to return the balls to the upper end of the runway E the following arrangement is made: a return chute I is arranged under the tables A, A, A, A and is slightly inclined in a reverse direction to that of the runway E, and the upper end I of the chute I connects with the lower end of the runway E the last gun F passes into the end I and rolls down the return chute I. In the space between the tables A, A, A and A are arranged the open ends of branch chutes I connected with the return chute I so that the attendants at the tables can readily take the balls'oif the tables and place the balls into the branch chutes I to permit the balls to pass into and down the chute I. The lower end of the chute I discharges the balls successively onto retaining devices J arranged on the peripheral face of a wheel J adapted to elevate the balls and deliver the same onto a tongue E formed on the upper end E so that a ball passing of the runway IE, it being understood that the said tongue E passes between prongs forming each retaining device J so that the ball is readily delivered from the wheel J into the upper end E of the runway E to roll down the same and to be shot at by one of the guns F manipulated at the time.

The wheel J has its shaft J 2 journaled in suitable bearings arranged on a framework K which also supports the end E of the runway E, and the lower end of the chute I, as plainly indicated in the drawings. On the shaft J of the elevating wheel J is secured a sprocket wheel L over which passes a sprocket chain L also passing around a sprocket wheel L secured on a shaft N journaled on the framework K and carrying a pulley N connected by belt with other ma.- chinery for imparting a rotary motion to the said shaft N and by the sprocket chain L and the sprocket wheels L and L to the elevating wheel J. Thus when the game apparatus. is in use and the wheel J is rotated then the balls passing down the chute I are taken up by the retaining device J of the wheel J and elevated, and finally delivered to the upper end E of the runway E to allow the balls to run down the said runway for the purposes previously explained.

It is understood that by swiveling each gun F a skilful player can readily shoot a ball C off the runway E in any direction onto the table A so as to score as high as possible.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A game apparatus, comprising a series of fixed game tables, a fixed inclined ballrunway arranged in front of the said tables and over which are adapted to travel balls, an elevating device for elevating the balls to the top of the said ball-runway and ballimpelling devices one for each table and arranged to one side of the said ball-runway to permit a player on any one of the tables to shoot a ball off the said runway and onto the corresponding table.

2. A game apparatus, comprising a series of fixed game tables, a fixed ba1l-runway arranged in front of the said table and over which are adapted to travel balls, ball-impelling devices one for each table and arranged to one side of the said ball-runway to permit a player on one! of the tables 'to shoot a ball off the said runway and onto the corresponding table, a return chute for the balls and having entrances adjacent the said ball-runway, and an elevating device for receiving the return balls from the said return chute, and elevating and delivering the balls to the beginning end of the said ball-runway.

3. A game apparatus, comprising a series of fixed game tables, a fixed inclined ballrunway arranged in front of the said game tables and down which ball-runway are adapted to travel balls, guns one for each game table and arranged out-side of the runway approximately opposite the middle of the corresponding game tables to permit a player on any one of the game tables to shoot a ball ofi the ball runway onto the corresponding table, an inclined return chute having its entrance end connected with the lower end of the said runway, branch chutes leading to the said return chute and arranged adjacent the said game tables, and a revoluble elevating wheel having peripheral retaining devices for receiving the balls from the said return chute and delivering the balls to the beginning end of the said runway.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

AUGUST REIBSTEIN.

Witnesses:

THEO. G. Hos'rnn, PHILIP D. RoLLHAUs.

Goples of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

